Grenade or bomb.



Patented oet. 23,1917.

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J. H. TRISMEN.

GRENADE 0R BOMB.

APPLlcATloN FILED DEc.10, m5.

FFICE! JOHN H. TRISMEN, F .YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOB. T0 CONSOLIDATED FIRE WORKS CO. OF AMERICA, OF EW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF YORK.

GRENADE OR BOMB.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it-known that I, JOHN H.'TRISM'J1N, .a citizen of lthe United States, residing at New York city, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grenades or Bombs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art. to which it appertain's to make and use the same.

My present invention relates tov grenades ori bombs, which are to be thrown by hand over moderate distances, and has for its object to provide such a bomb of simple and comparatively cheap construction which may be handled with entire safety until it is desired to be exploded, when an easy manipulation will render it capable of immediate action.' In addition, I provide duplicate safety devices, so that in case of-the failure of one of them, the other will nevertheless act to prevent accidents. y

To these ends I provide an explosive chamber and a tube extending therefrom containing a spring-actuated firlng pin having a cord attached to its outer end. The

pin is shorter than the tube, and through' the Wall` of the'tube and the pin I provide registering perforations through which a detent, preferably in the form of a cotterpin, may be passed, holding the firing pin out of contact with the firing device, which is usually'a fulminating ca The firing pin being wholly disposed Within the tube,

dropping the bomb does not bring the blow upon the end of the pin either when the cotter-pin is in place or when it is not; but to insure safety of the device while it is being transported or against accidental shocks before it is adjusted to be exploded, I seat the fulminating cap upon a reversible anvil seated in a fuse tube, so that when the device is transported, the anvil is reversed so that the dead side of the. cap comes against the fuse, and ire cannot reach the latter, even should the cap be exploded.

Either of these arrangements provides a safety device preventing any accidental actuation of the firing devices until the desired time.

Within the explosive chamber, I provide an interior receptacle, such as a sheet metal can, containing preferabl the explosive known in the art as TN Y(tri-ntrotolu- Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Oct, 23, 191 '7, Application mea December 1o, 1915. serial No. 66,046.

ene), and located 1n the end of the can, and

projecting into the body of the explosive I is a detonator or fulminating cap, which is ignited by the combustion of the fuse. Be-

The accompanying drawings show my im-l proved grenade,

Figure 1, being a side elevation; and

Fig. 2' a longltudinal section thereof.

A is the chamber for explosive, sealed by aV cap A1. This is usuallyof cast iron, since that answers well enough for the .short range to which these devices are usually effective, though other substances may be used. B is a sheet metal can within which is the charge p C of TNT, and between the. can and the wall of the explosive chamber are arranged bullets or slugs A3. The end of the tube I preferably has a recessed portion, uponwhich is placed a detonator or fulminating cap D, having a charge D1 of fulminate in the lower end thereof. In practice the charge C is .so shaped as to admit the cap,

being bored out for this purpose, the ex.

.composition and length of which is selected `to give the desired time for the explosion of the bomb, 2 or 3 seconds, for example. It is well understood inthe art that the explosive named will not explode from combustion, but only by detonation, and therefore the fuse serves only to explode the fulminating cap D referred to. At the u per end of the fuse-tube is an opening, in w ich is seated the anvil I', and the tube, as will be seen, is slightly relieved at I2. A fulmi nating cap K is seated in the anvil. By preference the anvil is cylindrical, because that is ythe most convenient and cheapest shape to make; but it may, of course, be polygonal, or any other shape, preferably symmetrical. The anvil is capable of reversal, and the cap may be disposed with its dead side adjacent to the fuse E in the relieved portion of the fuse-tube I. A boss A2, preferably formed integral with the explosive chamber `A, is threaded upon its, outside, and is bored to admit the fuse tube I.

A tube F extends from the chamber A,

land is provided at its lower'end with an will be obvious, this also secures the fusetube I in position. Disposed within the tube F is the firing-pin G, having at its upper end a hole G2 in a portion of the end of the pin which is slightly cut away; in the hole is the cord H for manipulating the firing-pin. The cord is provided with a button H upon thel end so that it can easily be held in the grasp of the hand. Disposed around the pin G is the helical spring G1 pressing at its upper end against the end of the tube F and at its lower end against a collar G4 upon the firing-pin; the latter is pointed at the end G3, so as to exlode with certainty the fulminating cap I. In the wall of the tube F is a perforation, and a corresponding perforation is made in the pin G. When these are brought into registry, the Cotter-pin gis placed therein, thus holding the firing-pin out of contact with the cap K. In the enlargement F1 is a hole f, and in the wall of the fusetube is a registering hole z' providing a vent in case of the accidental explosion of the fulminating cap when in its reversed position. Ordinarily these may be omitted, if desired,

The operation of my improved grenade is as follows: When the parts are in the position shown in the drawing, and it is desired to explode the device, the Cotter-pin G is pulled out and the renade is swung on the cord H until the ring-pin is practically completely withdrawn from the tube, the centrifugal force compressing the spring G1 until its coils touch one another. When the pin is thus withdrawn to the limit, the devicev is thrown toward the enemys position and the release of the cord permits the spring to force the pin down upon the.

fulininating cap, which is in the position illustrated in Fig. 2 at this time., This fires the fuse, which may be set for such time as is desired, two or three seconds, for example, and when the fire reaches the fulminate, the latter detonates and the bomb is exploded.

When the device is to be transported, the anvil I1 may be reversed with the dead surface of the cap adjacent to the fuse and the pin g is placed in position. When the grenades are distributed to the troops, the tube F may be unscrewed and the anvil reversed. Immediately before it is desired to use the grenade, the Cotter-pin G is removed. The removal of the cotter-pin does not serve to permit the firing pin to be urged by the spring against the cap, since the firing pin is adjusted to remain normally out of e11- gagenient therewith. Thus 1f a soldier about to throw a grenade should be struck, and the grenade fall, it would not explode, since the iring pin can only be forced into engagement with the cap through the compression and sudden release of the spring.

Many changes might be made -in the arrangement without departing from'the invention, as will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by'Letters Patent. is: i

1. In a grenade, a chamber, a fuse-tube extending into the chamber, a reversible anvil seated in the outer end of the fusetube, the tube being relieved thereunder, a fuse in the tube, and a fulminating cap upon the anvil, whereby when the grenade is to be transported, the anvil may be reversed so that the cap is disposed in the relieved portion of the fuse tube with its dead side adjacent to the fuse.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a grenade comprising av chamber for explosive, a tube extending therefrom, a firing pin in the tube, and Aa spring pressingthe pin toward the chamber, with a fuse-tube extending into the chamber, and a reversible anvil carrying a fulminating cap seated in the end of the fuse-tube away from the chamber.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a grenade comprising a chamber for an explosive, a reversible anvil, `a fuse-tube, a' lseat therein for the anvil, a liring-pin, a

spring therefor, and removable means for retaining the pin out of contact with the anvil and wholly within the tube until the grenade is to be exploded.`

4. As a new article of manufacture, a grenade having a chamber forexplosive, a tube extending therefrom, a firing-pin in the tube, and a spring pressing the pin toward the chamber, with a cord attached to the outer end of the pin, whereby when the grenade is swung by the cord, the centrifugal pull thereon stores energy in the spring, and when the cord is released, the pin is forced by the spring toward the chamber to fire the explosive. In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOI-IN I-I. TRISMEN. Witnesses:

M. VR. SU'LHERLAND, GEORGE I-I. LAYcoCK. 

